


Rising Sun

by shittyfoureyes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Era, Canon Universe, Comfort, Companion Piece, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Healing, Hope, Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, Life Partners, Long-Term Relationship(s), Love, M/M, No Angst, Partnership, Precious Eren Yeager, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protectiveness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23405170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shittyfoureyes/pseuds/shittyfoureyes
Summary: At the end of the day, Levi is always waiting with open arms.A companion piece toGreater Than The Sun
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 13
Kudos: 274





	Rising Sun

**Author's Note:**

> This is another gift for [Ningyo Gaaru](https://www.patreon.com/ningyogaaru/). It's based on this beautiful art that depicts Eren from Levi's perspective in [Greater Than The Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22982338). This story is about what Eren's thinking while he falls asleep on Levi's lap.
> 
> Thank you again for another beautiful creation!

_For a time I feed the fires_

_I search and seek while time expires_

_Hold me I’m so afraid_

_I just don’t know how to keep this flame_

_In pride and grace we rise with the sun_

_With the morning light_

_We just run and run_

_The good old days that imaginary place_

_With the rising sun_

_We forget and we embrace_

_Covenant, "Rising Sun"_

\---

  
  


There: the light at the end of the tunnel.

Or, more accurately, the light at the end of the hallway.

After inquiring about Levi’s whereabouts, Commander Erwin informed him that Levi was working on the reports from their last mission, so Eren headed straight here.

Eren was relieved to see the warm glow spilling into the hall, the flickering of a candle flame casting dancing shadows on the wall. He didn’t have the strength to go looking for him anywhere else. He needed so badly to see Levi after the day he had. He’d resort to crawling if Levi wasn’t there, but Eren was hopeful he wouldn’t have to.

The out-of-the-way sitting room is Levi’s favorite place to work when he wishes not to be disturbed. It’s seldom used for anything and in a far wing of the castle that no one would have a reason to be wandering around. Eren’s one of two people who know about his secret hideout.

With the last of his strength, the exhausted scout dragged himself the last few feet between himself and what he assumed (and prayed) was his captain, so fatigued from his journey that he had to lean against the doorframe when at last he reached his destination. And there he was: His captain, steeped in candlelight, reclining on the sofa, a heap of papers in his lap.

“Oh, good,” said Eren, sighing in tremendous relief when Levi glanced away from the report he was reading. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

Levi dropped the report on the top of the stack, tapping the loose pages on his thigh before discarding it on the side table and inviting Eren over. The smile Eren gave him was weary but genuine, and he limped the rest of the distance with marginally more spring in his step.

“You look like shit,” Levi joked, grinning. Eren chuckled and flopped down beside Levi on the sofa; he hadn’t looked in a mirror, but he was confident Levi’s appraisal of his current state was accurate.

“I feel like it,” he mumbled, his head immediately dropping to his captain’s strong, steadying shoulder. Eren sighed contentedly when Levi’s fingers ruffled his hair, and it felt to him like the best thing in the entire world. He inhaled Levi’s comforting scent as he affectionately nuzzled his nose in Levi’s neck, and he felt the stress leaving him when he exhaled.

Eren closed his tired eyes, already drifting.

\---

All Eren wanted was to see Levi before bed; he never intended to fall asleep here. He hadn’t seen Levi all day, and after the kind of day he had, shit. There was nothing he needed more than a little affection from Levi. That would definitely restore enough energy to make it through what will undoubtedly be another brutal day tomorrow.

Yesterday’s operation was stressful, but that’s over. The stress he suffered after was his own damn fault. He wasn’t looking forward to writing a paper; he presumed he was done with that sort of thing for good when he graduated. The Survey Corps was supposed to be about exploring beyond the walls, killing titans, fighting for humanity’s freedom, not being trapped inside doing paperwork.

That’s why he procrastinated until the deadline was staring him right in the face.

He knew he had to do it. Facing a displeased commander would be significantly worse than a failing grade. His mother would’ve pulled his ear and scolded him for earning poor marks, but who knows what Commander Erwin might do. His desire to never find out was more than sufficient motivation to quit stalling and just get it over with.

That’s why he stayed up all night.

And that’s why, bright and early the next morning (which came way too soon), it was on Erwin’s desk. Also why he somehow ended up tangled in his wires during drills and why he fell asleep during lunch and nearly drowned in his stew.

The rest of the squad went off to perform their regular duties, but not Eren. Eren was exempted from peeling potatoes and mucking stables, and he was excited until he found out why that was. He hadn’t been granted a day off as a reward for his hard work. He wasn’t appointed to an easier task. It wasn’t for anything good or pleasurable or relaxing.

The reason? Hanji.

Before his first titan body had even evaporated, he was creating a second. The second was still steaming away when he was in his third. He got treated to a brief break before the fourth.

He missed dinner because, as usual, Hanji got carried away and only remembered they had to stop at some point because the sun set and it got too dark to see their notes.

So, no, he didn’t _intend_ to fall asleep, but he was so fucking exhausted, could you really blame him? He reasoned that maybe just a quick cat nap would be all right. Levi would wake him, wouldn’t he?

\---

Eren was seconds away from drifting off to dreamland when he remembered _why_ Levi was in here with a mountain of papers. That woke him up instantly, and he jolted upright with worry and just the tiniest amount of guilt.

“Sorry, am I interrupting your work?” Eren’s workload is always heavy, but it’s only physical tasks. Levi’s is just as physically demanding, but the added burden of officer’s duties on top of it makes it doubly exhausting. Eren knows Levi is stubborn and refuses to take breaks without some convincing. Another thing Eren knows is that there’s only one person who has any influence over Levi–and that would be him.

“Never,” Levi replied. Levi wrapped his arm around him so he’d lay his head back down, and that was enough to dispel his worry and guilt. With another sigh, Eren closed his eyes again and listened to the deep voice rumbling in his captain’s throat. If velvet had a sound, Eren imagines it would be like Levi’s voice. “I was getting sick of reading all these shitty reports, anyway. I don’t know why Erwin makes me read through all of them after he already did. They all say the same thing. It’s fucking mind-numbing.”

“Did you get to mine yet?” Eren asked, cuddling up closer to his captain, battling to stay awake long enough to find out.

The sharp huff of air from Levi’s nose was his answer.

A smile that Levi couldn’t see slid onto Eren’s lips. Inside, Eren bubbled with glee while he waited to see how Levi would respond to his report. He knew exactly what Levi would call him, and he looked forward to it. Levi’s pet name makes him laugh every time.

“I didn’t even need to see your signature at the bottom to know it was yours,” Levi replied with typical flatness, but Eren knew him well enough to pick up on the minuscule shimmer of amusement in his voice.

“What gave it away?” Eren asked, even though he already knew the answer. Same thing every time. He buried his face to hide his grin.

“Well, for one, the entire thing was written in chicken scratch, so that was a pretty big clue.” A playful elbow bumped into Eren’s side, and Levi felt Eren chuckling into his shoulder. Eren smiled wider. He didn’t see Levi’s smile; he heard it. “But if that didn’t give it away… You know the report was supposed to be about the mission and not me, right?”

Eren laughed at Levi’s half-assed admonition.

“Little shit.”

And there it was, Levi’s special term of endearment, one that anybody but him would find insulting.

“It was about the mission! It wouldn’t have been successful without the excellent leadership of our captain!” Eren protested, and the glimmer of amusement he discerned in Levi’s eyes when they met had Eren overflowing affection for the man. Seeing those kinds of expressions on Levi’s face or hearing them in his voice always makes Eren feel special. Those are reserved exclusively for him.

Eren was already smiling, but it grew into a full-on grin when Levi kissed his brow. But then Levi looked at him, and the way he was doing it had Eren’s heart clenching in his chest. Those annoying butterflies were back, and the biggest of them flew directly into Eren’s throat.

“You all did very well. I’m proud of you.”

And that’s what does it. That’s what destroys Eren completely. He squirms; Levi’s praise wrecks him every time, and he knew that the last words were only for him.

The soldier Eren cracks and crumbles away, tumbling down like Wall Maria.

Something must be destroyed before it can be rebuilt.

Just like that, Eren felt human again. Not like a titan, a soldier, or an orphan, but like a normal person in a normal world. Levi doesn’t know he’s doing it to Eren, but Eren loves it when Levi breaks him like this. He smashes through the walls of anger Eren builds around himself to shield him from the horrors outside, but Levi’s hands repair them. Levi’s arms become his new walls, different walls, impenetrable, solid, and steadfast as the man himself. Walls that don’t trap him but protect him. There is restoration in his arms, healing in his lips. There is peace within Wall Levi.

Eren wound his arms tight around Levi, and they relaxed together in comfortable silence. The steady rhythm of Levi’s heart lulled him into a state stuck somewhere between the borders of sleep and lucidity.

Eren lives for these moments. He lived for them when they were rarer, and now that they’re regular, he lives for them even more.

Eren didn’t realize he was daydreaming until Levi’s voice prompted him out of it.

“Do you want me to bring you something to eat?” Levi asked him, and Eren blinked open his eyes.

He was famished, to put it lightly. He missed dinner, but he was too hungry for affection to go scrounging around for food. Eren really does need to eat something to replenish his energy, but Levi’s doing a fine job of that at the moment. Plus, he doesn’t want to move. He can wait.

“Maybe in a bit.” Eren turned onto his side to get more comfortable, but also as a means to ensure that Levi can’t go anywhere. It’s not a foolproof plan–Levi _has_ dumped him onto the floor before–but he hasn’t done anything to deserve that. _Yet._ “Just wanna rest my eyes for a second.”

Eren thought nothing of laying across Levi’s lap. He was so out of it he forgot they weren’t in Levi’s room.

Eren thought about how pleasant it is here on Levi’s lap, how soothing it is to hear nothing other than Levi breathing, and how happy he is to be here with him, safe and sound in his arms, his troubles forgotten for one precious moment in time.

Eren never imagined he’d be here with Levi, not in the way he is now.

No one makes him feel safer than Levi, nor has anyone ever soothed him like Levi does. No one but Levi protects him and cares for him and cherishes him and comforts him. Levi is a weapon against the darkness in his soul.

Levi is the rising sun.

Levi is hope for tomorrow.

Levi does so much for him. Eren wants to give him everything in return.

Levi is his rock. He’s someone he can always trust, always depend on, someone with whom it’s safe to reveal his secrets, all his hopes and dreams and fears. Levi’s a shoulder he can cry on, and someone who never lies about their situation to comfort him. Levi never sugarcoats the truth, and that’s far more comforting than the lies everyone else tells him. Levi never makes promises he can’t keep. He’s kept every promise he has.

No one looks at him the way Levi does, and Levi doesn’t look that way at anyone else. No one says his name the way Levi does, and Eren never wants to hear it like that from anyone else. Ever. His name is the only one Levi says like that. No one but Levi is permitted to touch him and kiss him and hold him and whisper into his ear.

He loves Levi more than he can express. Eren’s never known love like this.

Levi feels like the sun on his face.

Levi feels like home.

Eren drifts into that faraway place again, where he’s not quite sleeping, yet not truly awake. Levi is the center of his thoughts, and his heart and mind bubble over with joy and gratitude, and with the understanding of how impossibly lucky he is to be loved by him.

\---

Eren wants to spend the rest of his life with his captain.

That’s what made him realize that Levi’s always been a part of his life.

When Eren was a child, Levi, the brave and strong captain of the Survey Corps, was his hero. As an adult, Levi became his hero in the literal sense; he saved his life, something which he’d continue to do throughout their years together. After that, Levi became his captain. And then, gradually, things changed. He became more.

At first, there were only slight changes.

Levi kept watch over him. Levi taught him with more patience than he showed with anyone else. After the patience came encouragement, and after that came praise. Levi paid more and more attention to him. Eren could hardly believe how lucky he was to receive Levi’s favor. How wonderful it was to hear a “like this” or a “be careful” instead of an insult. To hear a “not bad” or a “well done” was a dream come true. It felt incredible, and he was grateful for it. It’s more than he could have asked for from the man he’d admired for years.

That didn’t mean he didn’t want more. But if Levi wanted to give him more, he would. He wouldn’t try his luck by suggesting it, and he knew it was silly to hope for more.

But more is what he got.

Levi stood up for him when his squadmates teased him. He complimented his skills in front of everyone. Eren had no problem with being called teacher’s pet. Levi started giving him special tasks and asking for his opinion. He wondered if he’d become Levi’s assistant, and he secretly decided he was. Eren was so proud; he couldn’t have been happier to receive extra work. Sometimes it _wasn’t_ extra, but he didn't know that.

It wasn’t merely more work he got. It was more Levi, and it was even better than being Levi’s assistant. He didn’t realize at the time that he was slowly becoming Levi’s partner.

When tea started, it made Eren hopeful that Levi might share his feelings. Levi occasionally asked him to stick around after dinner to have tea with him. Tea in the mess hall became tea in the parlor. One day it became tea in his private quarters. There were subtle glances across the table, a strange, fleeting look in the captain’s dark, indifferent eyes. At times the tea tasted different. It tasted better when Levi didn’t get the leaves from the tin in the commissary.

But then came the touching.

A hand on his elbow to correct his form, on his back to remind him to straighten his posture. Dirt brushed off his shoulder, a helping hand extended when he fell. Sitting a little too close, knees and shoulders bumping, fingers grazing on accident when handing over objects, and always finding themselves reaching for the teapot at the same time.

It didn’t stop at glancing contact that Levi could easily explain away, but that change was still to come.

Eren became less afraid to express his feelings toward the captain, but he still played it safe, just in case. He could be misinterpreting Levi’s special treatment, after all. He kept it subtle.

His way of keeping it subtle ended up being enormous smiles and cheerful greetings. Little favors here and there, a small gift now and then. No candy in heart-shaped boxes, no roses, nothing like that. Safe gifts. Soap, cleaning supplies, a fancy pen for all the paperwork Levi has to do.

The same pen Levi is signing his name with tonight.

Eren’s gestures were well-received, and he took that as a positive sign. He didn’t want to think of it as courting, or worse, wooing. That would be absurd. The problem with that is that he absolutely _was_ wooing Levi.

The other problem was that Eren is absolute shit at masking his emotions. Someone once told him he wore his heart on his sleeve, but what the hell was that supposed to mean? If he’d have known what it meant, he would’ve tried to hide how much of a lovesick idiot he was. He was _supposed_ to be starting off slow. His grinning and sighing and gifts and fawning puppy-dog eyes were way past the point of flirting.

That’s when Levi started acting weird. Eren didn’t know what he did wrong.

They didn’t take tea in his quarters as often, and when they did, sometimes Levi wouldn’t look him in the eye. Levi paired him off with someone else for hand-to-hand combat training, and he didn’t sit as close to him anymore.

Eren didn’t know whether to back off or redouble his efforts. Never one for restraint, he obviously chose the latter.

It made Levi act even weirder.

Perhaps there was a reasonable explanation for Levi’s other strange behaviors; the favoritism, the physical contact, the conversations shared over tea.

There was no way to explain away the hand-holding.

It happened one day after training when Levi was reaching for the buckle of his horse’s bridle. Eren noticed him go up on his toes, and because he was taller, he thought he should lend a hand. Levi tried to shoo Eren away, but Eren was already reaching for it. Levi was, too. Their hands overlapped, and both of them froze. Eren’s heart shot up his throat, and he stood stock-still in place, their hands still touching. After a few long, blissful, _agonizing_ seconds, Levi closed his eyes, exhaled, and then his fingers wrapped around Eren’s.

While Eren stared at him in wide-eyed shock, Levi looked back with something more serious, something somber and soft-edged.

But then Levi smiled, rubbed his thumb over Eren’s knuckles, and squeezed.

Though neither of them voiced it, they both knew what this was.

After that, Levi would squeeze Eren’s hand in encouragement when he failed at something. He’d briefly squeeze his hand under the table when they sat beside each other. He’d sit across from Eren, gaze into his eyes, and stroke the back of it when Eren looked sad or worried.

That simple, innocent gesture comforted Eren more than he expected it to. It took the edge off his fear and sadness; it made him feel safe. Like he wasn’t alone in the world. Like Levi was watching over him, that Levi cared about him.

Eren eventually came to learn precisely how much Levi cared about him.

Levi told him he loved him.

Then they kissed.

They would kiss for years to come, and they would continue to grow and change into something even more.

\---

Eren was the first person ever to tell Levi, “ _I love you._ ” Levi gave him his first kiss. And then, only recently, he and Levi learned how it felt to make love for the very first time.

From a childhood hero to a savior, from a savior to a mentor. From a mentor to a companion to a partner. Gentle with him when no one else was, protecting him like no one else could. Someone who held his hand and then held him in his arms and fought off the darkness.

And now here he is, dreaming and drooling on Levi’s lap, sprawled out on the couch in the sitting room at the far end of the hall, and he doesn’t even know it.

\---

Neither Levi nor Erwin ever told Eren about how Erwin saw him cuddling with his captain on that couch in the sitting room at the far end of the hall.

  
  
  



End file.
